Italian Sausage with Grapes, Onion, and Balsamic Vinegar

Early on Sunday evening, we usually sit down with a cocktail and some appetizers to watch the string of cooking shows on PBS. They’re a welcome calm alternative to the increasingly competition-driven line-up on the Food Network.

One of our favorite shows is America’s Test Kitchen, which is both entertaining and instructive. A recent episode of the series included a relatively simple weeknight recipe for sweet Italian sausages with seedless red grapes and balsamic vinegar that we both thought had to be on our table before the end of the week. We found the combination of ingredients intriguing and came away with a better all-purpose method for browning and cooking sausage. I’m including a link to the show’s website, which, if you’re not a registered user, requires you to sign up. Registration is free. It’s worth the time and this page has an informative article on cooking sausages.

Not quite as elaborate as the gatto Santa Chiara; this is a simple gatto di patate made solely from mashed potatoes, Romano cheese, butter, milk, and parsley with one layer of mozzarella between two layers of potatoes. Breadcrumbs on the bottom, sides, and the top. I still need to work up a recipe; however, there is a recipe in Michele Scicolone’s 1000 Italian Recipes which adds some salame.